5-Minute Mindfulness. Simple Daily Shortcuts to Transform Your Life

207 Pages·2011·1.45 MB·English

by  David B. Dillard-Wright PhD

5-Minute
Mindfulness
SIMPLE DAILY SHORTCUTS TO
Transform Your Life
David B. Dillard-Wright, PhD, Heidi E. Spear, and Paula Munier
For Father George, my godmother Susie, and my yogini
Emma.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
CHAPTER 1 LIVING A MINDFUL LIFE
CHAPTER 2 STRESS RELIEF FOR YOUR BRAIN
CHAPTER 3 GOODBYE, MONKEY MIND
CHAPTER 4 DON’T THINK, BREATHE!
CHAPTER 5 STRESS RELIEF FOR YOUR BODY
CHAPTER 6 MINDFUL BODY, LUMINOUS BODY
CHAPTER 7 STRETCH, BREATHE, RELAX!
CHAPTER 8 SAY A LITTLE MINDFUL PRAYER
CHAPTER 9 SUTRAS FOR YOUR SOUL
CHAPTER 10 BE A MINDFUL MYSTIC
CHAPTER 11 TUNE IN TO MINDFULNESS
CHAPTER 12 SET YOUR SIGHTS ON MINDFULNESS
CHAPTER 13 BREATHE IN MINDFULNESS
CONCLUSION 5 MINUTES TO A MINDFUL LIFE
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift.
That’s why we call it the present.”
—B O
ABATUNDE LATUNJI
Live in the present.
Be here now.
Just breathe.
Great advice, but what does it really mean? And, how do you do it? You don’t
live on a mountaintop, or in a cave, or even in a monastery where you can devote
endless hours to gazing at your navel in pursuit of enlightenment. You live in the
so-called real world, where just getting through another 24/7 day is a challenge
worthy of the Buddha.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can master the art of mindfulness—and
live in the present, be here now, and just breathe. You can learn to quiet your
mind, listen to your body, and reconnect with your true self—deepening your
experience of your own life.
And, you can do it anywhere, anytime. Mindfulness is a portable skill; once
learned, you can carry with you and call on it whenever you need it—day by day,
hour by hour, moment by moment.
In this book, we’ll show you how to cultivate mindfulness in your everyday
life in only minutes a day. You’ll be amazed at how being more mindful can
make a difference in the way you feel—body, mind, and soul. What’s more,
you’ll discover the keys that open the door to your potential as a human being.
You’ll enter a vast and beautiful dimension of universal wisdom, wisdom you
can call on to meet challenges, cope with difficulties, and resolve problems.
You’ll also learn to engage with your own life in ways that teach, heal, and
enhance everything and everyone around you. It may take some work, but it is a
labor of love you deserve to give yourself.
What Is Mindfulness?
Simply put, mindfulness is paying attention to your life as you live it.
Learning to pay attention to your life as you live it can sometimes be
challenging. You get caught up in your conflicting emotions, you drag
yourself down with baggage from the past, you worry yourself with your
unhappy visions of the future. Distracted by this barrage of thoughts and
feelings and memories and imaginings, you forget to notice what’s happening
now, right in front of you.
CHAPTER 1
LIVING A MINDFUL LIFE
“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a
different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of
paying attention to this miracle.”
—P C
AULO OELHO
Odds are you’ve been practicing mindfulness all along without even knowing it.
Most of us have experienced little aha! moments when we’re doing something
else entirely—while going for a jog, or driving to work, or even washing the
dishes. Self-awareness often surprises us when we perform such simple,
methodical tasks that free the mind from the seemingly endless loops of thoughts
and feelings that can distract us from the moment at hand. The sort of activities
that can induce such unexpected mindfulness run the gamut of human
experience, including: • Sports. Athletes frequently speak of being “in the
zone”—the mental freedom they experience when the body is completely
involved in meeting a challenge, such as running a long distance or climbing a
steep incline.
• Mothering. Mothers know the serenity that sets in as they sing a child to
sleep or rock a baby in their arms. This maternal peace can begin with
breastfeeding, which not only enhances the bonding process with the infant
but also deepens the perception of the life force itself.
• Strenuous work. The focus required to perform vigorous physical labor,
such as carrying heavy loads with great care or chopping wood, can bring
uncommon mind–body awareness.
• Knitting. The rhythm of the clacking needles, the feel of the soft yarn
between your fingers, the persistent lull of the contiguous stitches—that’s the
mindmeld of knitting that lets enlightenment happen.
• Gardening. Digging in the dirt not only evokes the sense of child’s play we
experienced as kids in the sandbox, it also puts us back in touch—literally—
with Mother Earth. Both playing and communing with nature require living
in the moment and are therefore mindful activities.
• Chores. Familiar tasks—those so familiar that you can do them “in your
sleep”—often create space for the mind to relax and drop into the present
moment.
In these instances, it is the realization—without thought or feeling—that you
are participating in the moment that brings you into the state of mindfulness.
Learn to cultivate this state more often and for longer periods of time, and you
are on your way to enlightenment.
MINDFUL YOU, HEALTHY YOU
If discovering greater meaning and purpose in life wasn’t reason enough to
convince us, the physical benefits of mindfulness should be. Over the past few
decades, mounting scientific evidence confirms that mindfulness can reduce the
harmful effects of our stressful lifestyles, making us healthier, as well as happier.
Want to have more energy?
Reduce the risk of a heart attack?
Control depression and anxiety?
Science now shows us that we don’t always have to reach for a pill bottle.
There are alternative means of enhancing our well-being— and mindfulness is
prime among them. Through various mindfulness techniques—many centuries if
not millennia old—we can relearn the time-honored lessons lost in our fast-
paced, technology-driven societies. At the same time, technology and science
can help us to better understand these ancient practices, revealing how and why
they actually work.
Throughout the ages, every society has created its unique set of mindfulness
techniques. Many of these techniques have morphed over time, adapting to
changing morés and customs. Some traditions have influenced one another in
profound ways, such as yoga and Buddhism. Today, we see that same confluence
happening even in secular settings. For instance, many stress-reduction programs
incorporate yoga postures and Buddhist meditation techniques.
In this book, you will find a mixture of the old and the new, the scientific and
the philosophic, the anecdotal and the empirical—all of which support the fact
that mindfulness really does promote healthy living.
The Mindfulness Toolbox
Thanks to this wealth of knowledge and tradition, we can transform ourselves
into creatures of mindfulness rather than creatures of habit. Some of the most
effective old and new mindfulness tools include: • Meditation
• Prayer
• Yoga
• Tai Chi
• Deep breathing
• Visualization
• Massage
• Reiki
• Aromatherapy
• Music therapy
• Exercise
• Hypnosis
• Biofeedback
THE MANY FACES OF MINDFULNESS
There are many approaches to mindfulness. Some may appear simple, practical,
and easy to understand; others may seem otherworldly, impractical, and esoteric.
Some styles may have proven too religious to appeal to you or not spiritual
enough.
In 5-Minute Mindfulness, you’ll learn how to choose—and use—the best tools
for your own body, mind, and soul. To find the mindfulness approach that best
addresses your individual needs, we’ll look at what each offers and decide which
features are suitable—for you. It’s not necessary to limit yourself to one
technique. By incorporating what reflects your unique nature, whether it is two
or three styles or a dozen, you will be able to design a mindfulness practice that
reflects all that you are and that encourages you to be all you can be.
There are as many ways to practice mindfulness as there are personality types.
You’ll want to use the tools that best suit your personality. Exploring the many
dimensions of mindfulness can be satisfying in itself, but taking your attitudes
and habits into account can help you discover the best approach for you.
THE MINDFULNESS STYLE QUIZ
1. When you’re stressed out, you like to wind down by:
A. Hanging out with friends
B. Watching the Discovery Channel on TV